There is a Basic Requirement for a Professional Engineering position in the Federal service. You must meet the Basic Requirement to qualify. See the the "Education: section of this announcement for details on the Basic Requirement:
To qualify for the GS-09 level, in addition to meeting the Basic Requirement, your resume must demonstrate that you have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07) or pay band in the federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public using the methods, principles, requirements, work techniques, and practices of professional engineering to perform the following:
1) Performing or assisting in professional engineering work involving the generation and/or application of theories, principles, practical concepts, systems, and processes.
2) Assisting in developing specifications, statements of work, and/or test plans
3) Presenting technical information to technical and non-technical personnel, orally and in writing.
4) Assisting in present technical findings and defend technical positions in scientific terms.
5) Utilizing Microsoft Office or similar software
To qualify for the GS-07 level, in addition to meeting the Basic Requirement, your resume must demonstrate that you have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05) or pay band in the federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public using the methods, principles, requirements, work techniques, and practices of professional engineering to perform the following:
1) Assisting in professional engineering work involving the generation and/or application of theories, principles, practical concepts, systems, and/or processes.
2) Assisting in developing specifications, statements of work, and/or test plans
3) Assisting in presenting technical information to technical and/or non-technical personnel.
4) Utilizing Microsoft Office or similar software
You may also qualify using education to substitute for specialized experience. See the "Education" section of this announcement for details.
Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:
all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf (opm.gov)
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.